There are many fun, interesting, and even sacred ways to celebrate Yule. I am presenting a variety of suggestions, in the hopes that newbies and old-timers alike will find something of use here!
Sing pagan solstice carols. Appropriate ones are: Deck the Halls, the Holy and the Ivy, Joy to the World, Tannenbaum, Wassailing Song, Green Groweth the Holly. And there are others that can be slightly altered to fit Yule. (I will be posting some separately.)
Decorate the Solstice or Yule tree. Decorate pine cones with glue and glitter as symbols of the faeries and place them in the Yule tree. Hang little bells on the Yule tree to call the spirits and faeries and purify your space. Decorate with items symbolizing what you want in the new year. Hang gold, yellow and red balls to symbolize the God and the Sun.
Light an enclosed candle, and let it burn through the night.
Stay up until sunrise to welcome the strengthening Sun.
Make a wreath decorated with pine cones.
String popcorn and cranberries and hang them on an outdoor tree for birds.
Glue the caps onto acorns and attach a red string to hang on the Yule tree.
For prosperity, burn ash wood.
Symbolically act out the struggle between the Holly King (an older man) and the Oak King (a younger man).
Yule blessings: wreath on the door, mistletoe indoors, food and clothing donations, sunflower seeds outside for birds, ring the bell to greet the Solstice Morn, and perform magick for a peaceful planet.
Gather up Yule greens after 12th night and save. At Imbolc, burn the greens to banish winter and usher in spring.
Consecrate the Yule tree -- asperge with salted water, pass smoke of incense through the branches, and walk around the tree with a lighted candle saying:
By fire and water, air and earth,Make wassail: 2 cups cranberry juice, 1/4 cup grenadine, 1 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup rum (optional). (taken from Green Witchcraft by Moura) A longer recipe follows
Make classic eggnog. (Recipe at end)
I grew up Catholic, and my family has many wonderful Christmas traditions. I've been pagan for 10 years now, but I still celebrate Christmas with my family. I celebrate Yule as a solitary on the particular day of solstice, but I still get together with my family and exchange presents, etc. I see Yule as my religious day, and Christmas as my family day. Christmas has never really been religious in my family, rather it is a day for us all to get together and have a good time. So on Christmas I enjoy family time, sharing the day with my 7-year-old nephew and the adults. After all, if Auntie Jamie stopped giving gifts, nephew Mickey would just think I was cheap!
Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles (as many as you have around the house). Make sure to put the candles out of harmžs way if you have children As you light each candle, say something like, "In the greatest darkness...the light is reborn" or "Out of winteržs cold...the light is reborn." Make up a new short phrase for each candle. When all the candles are lit, meditate for a moment on what it means for the light to be reborn. Then everybody should get up and RUN to turn on the other lights: lights in other rooms, flashlights, the oven light, the lights on your house or tree, etc. (Children are especially good at finding ALL the lights.) Running is to help encourage the festivities. Then gather again together and sing Pagan chants and carols. If you have a indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log (see below) and save a bit to start next year's fire. Or made or buy an edible Yule log (which can be used in much the same way as a traditional one, with candles, though you eat--not burn it). Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights. Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.
An oak log, plus a fireplace or bonfire area is needed for this form of celebration. The oak log should be very dry so that it will blaze well. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves. In the fireplace or bonfire area, dried kindling should be set to facilitate the burning of the log.
Begin by having parent(s) or some other family member describe the tradition of the Yule log. The tale of the Oak King and Holly King from Celtic mythology can be shared as a story, or can be summarized with a statement that the Oak represents the waxing solar year, Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly represents the waning solar year, Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice.
Lights are extinguished as much as possible. The family is quiet together in the darkness. Family members quietly contemplate the change in the solar year. Each in her/his own way contemplates the past calendar year, the challenges as well as the good times.
Then the Yule Log fire is lit. As it begins to burn, each family member throws in one or more dried holly sprigs and says farewell to the old calendar year. Farewells can take the form of thanksgiving and appreciation and/or a banishment of old habits or personal pains.
Once the Yule Log itself starts blazing, then the facilitator invites family members to contemplate the year ahead and the power of possibilities. Each member then throws in an oak twig or acorn into the fire to represent the year ahead, and calls out a resolution and/or a hope.
When this process is done, the family sings a song together. The traditional carol, "Deck the Halls," is good because it mentions the Solstice, the change in the solar year, and the Yule log.
Let the Yule Log burn down to a few chunks of charred wood and ashes. Following an ancient tradition, save remnants of the fire and use them to start the Yule Log fire the following year.
At Yule, we honor the Goddess as Great Mother giving birth to the Sun God. Place Pagan Mother Goddess images around your home. You may also want to include one with a Sun child, such as Isis with Horus. Pagan Goddess forms traditionally linked with this time of year include Tonantzin (Native Mexican corn mother), Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune), Bona Dea (Roman women's goddess of abundance and prophecy), Ops (Roman goddess of plenty), Au Set/Isis (Egyptian/multicultural All Goddess whose worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary), Lucina/St. Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light), and Befana (Italian Witch who gives gifts to children at this season).
Wassailing means "to wish health to" one's apple trees, in the hope that they will bear well, and not leave the "wassailer" out on a limb - so to speak. In addition, drums, bells, whistles etc. were used either to scare off evil spirits, or to wake the tree up; a libation of cider or ale was poured over the roots, and bread that had soaked in the "wassailing" bowl was placed in the branches - an offering back to the tree.
The word wassail comes from Ves heill, Norse for "be in good health". Wassail is a drink consisting of ale, cider, and/or wine sweetened with sugar and flavored with citrus and spices. This brew is traditionally served in a large "wassail bowl," garnished with small roasted apples andladled into serving cups. Slices of toast might also be set to float in the bowl, later to be offered to the tree.
During the darkest, most miserable time of the year, English cidermakers traditionally lighten the darkness with an ancient pagan ritual known as Wassailing. The word Wassail comes from an Old English term Wes hl or "Be Hale/Healthy," and during Wassailing people visit their local orchards to sing Wassail Songs to the trees, light bonfires, dance, make lots of noise (to scare off evil spirits) and drink toasts to the orchard and the upcoming cider year.
(See wassail recipe at end.)
The yule log is a remnant of the bonfires that the European pagans would set ablaze at the time of winter solstice. These bonfires symbolized the return of the Sun. The Yule log can be made of any wood (Oak is tradtional). Each releases its own kind of magick.
On the night of Yule, carve a symbol of your hopes for the coming year into the log. Burn the log to release it's power. Save a piece of this year's Yule log for kindling in next year's fire.
On the darkest night of the year, gather together three dried leaves of holly and pulverize them into powder. On a clean, four-inch by four-inch piece of paper, write a single word in red ink that represents what quality you would like to be born within yourself along with the newborn Yule Sun. Sprinkle the holly powder into the center of the papertwist the whole thing closed with the holly powder inside. Light the wick of a red candle, and from this flame, light the holly-filled paper on fire. As it burns, see your wish fulfilled. The spell is done.
Simmer ingredients together on a stovetop or in a potpourri pot.
For Yule, make beautiful Scandinavian-esque luminarias by filling buckets with water and leaving them outdoors on a night that dips below a freezing temperature. In the morning, ice will have clung to the sides, top and bottom of the bucket, while the center remains liquid. Slide the ice out of the bucket, (loosening with hot water on the outside if need be) break off the top ice crust and tip out the water from the hollow. Line them up your footpath, then light a long-lasting candle to place within during nighttime. Your ice lanterns will remind all who see that the light will return even though night is longest at Solstice--besides helping Santa Claus to find your house!
Make your own miniature snow scene in a water globe! With a good quality craft glue, secure some small plastic trinkets (tiny pine trees, a Yule log, reindeer or Santa found at craft or hobby store) to the bottom of a wide mouthed, very clean glass jar. Let dry overnight. Add 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of white or silver glitter, and fill the jar with baby or mineral oil. Use several drops of glue on the inside lid to secure it on tight. Cover the lid with a disc of fabric, felt or paper and continue to decorate with glitter or Yule-themed cut outs and designs. Allow the lid to dry completely, then shake up the scene!
Blend cream and 1/2 & 1/2 in pan and bring to simmer. Separately, whisk egg yolks and sugar to combine, then gradually whish hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return to same pan. Stir over medium-low heat (do not boil) about 4 minutes until it thickens and and leaves a path on the back of a spoon when finger is drawn through it. Strain into bowl. Cool slightly and stir in 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Divide into glasses (warm or cold) and stir in 1 Tablespoon of sherry into each, if desired. Garnish with more nutmeg.
These pancakes are brilliant for the morning after the Solstice, and are excellent served the European way: with a sprinkling of sugar and fresh lemon juice squeezed on top.
5 well beaten eggsAdd salt, sugar and flour to beaten eggs to make a smooth paste. Add milk and stir well until thin and creamy. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken. Stir again and cook as pancakes with a hot buttered pan. Re-apply small amounts of butter as needed. Serve with lemons and sugar, rolled up and cut, or with any accompaniments you can think of.
The traditional, classic Yuletide hot mulled cider drink.
4 litres apple cider or juice (fresh milled organic is excellent!)Heat all and simmer in an enamel pot (aluminum can impart a metallic flavor) on low for an hour, then serve to cold, caroling folks.
1. What are some of the special activites you do for your Winter Solstice celebration?
2. Please share with us any special recipes for the holidays.
Document Copyright (c) 1997 Jamie Brydone-Jack
This and all related documents can be re-published only as long as no information is changed, credit is given to the author, and is provided or used without cost to others.